Thursday, September 10, 2015

Albela is a 1951 Bollywood musical comedy film directed by and starring Bhagwan Dada and Geeta Bali.A Hindi classic, it was the third highest grossing film at the Indian Box Office in 1951 and its soundtrack by C. Ramchandra was acclaimed.

Cast

Geeta Bali ... as Asha

Bhagwan as Pyarelal

Badri Prasad as Pyarelal's Father

Sunder as Theatre Owner (as Sundar)

Pratima Devi as Pyarelal's Mother

Dulari as Malti

Release Year 1951

Music

The music director of the film was C. Ramchandra and the soundtrack was acclaimed, cited as a "classic". The film features several westerinized songs such as Sholajo badhke and Ye deewana, ye parwana which are said to have "employed cabaret type dance/choruses featuring bongo drums, oboes,, clarinets, trumpets, saxophones, etc." Famous playback singer Lata Mangeshkar sang the song Balama bada nadan re.

Plot

Day-dreamer and Artist, Pyarelal, lives a poor lifestyle in Bombay with his retired dad; housewife mom; married brother, Mohan and his wife, Malti; and unmarried sister, Vimla. It is now time for Vimla to get married, her dad has saved a thousand Rupees, while Mohan has made arrangements for six hundred more, and Pyarelal is asked to arrange for four hundred. Instead Pyarelal brings home one hundred rupees, informing his family that he has been fired from his job, and will be unable to raise any more money. An argument ensues, and Pyarelal is asked to leave. He leaves, swearing only to return when he is a famous and wealthy man. He meets with pretty actress, Asha, both fall in love with each other, and he starts acting in the theater, and achieves quick success. He starts sending money and gifts home to his parents, and hopes that they will be pleased with his success. Then one day when he feels that he has achieved his success, he returns home - only to find out that the money and gifts he has been sending home are missing; his mom has passed away; his dad and sister are missing, believed to be begging in the streets; his sister's marriage has been canceled; his brother cannot support himself; and his sister-in-law, has a dark deep secret that she cannot tell anyone.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Umrao Jaan is a 1981 Bollywood film, directed by Muzaffar Ali. It is based on the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada (1905), written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa based on the famous Lucknow courtesan. The film starred Bollywood actress Rekha and Farooq Shaikh as leads.

In essence Muzaffar Ali’s 1981 classic ‘Umrao Jaan’ can be called the story of a prostitute, or to be more precise, the story of a prostitute with a heart of gold and the soul of a poet. Not getting into the morality of the lead character’s profession, one could say she is simply a little girl lost, confined within the walls of a brothel whose only escape is her heartfelt poetry and the undependable lovers who share her bed.

The longing for love, is a theme which many film deals with and is probably the most cliché foundation to use when dealing with the life of a prostitute. However, in the context of Umrao Jaan’s story, it is the most applicable base to start from.

Cast

Rekha as Amiran

Seema Sathyu as Young Amiran

Farooq Shaikh as Nawab Sultan

Naseeruddin Shah as Gohar Mirza

Raj Babbar as Faiz Ali

Gajanan Jagirdar as Maulvi

Shaukat Kaifi as Khanum Jaan

Umme Farwa as Young Amiran

Dina Pathak as Husseini

Prema Narayan as Bismillah

Bharat Bhushan as Khan Saheb

Mukri as Parnan Aziz

Satish Shah as Daroga Dilawar

Directed byMuzaffar Ali

Produced byMuzaffar Ali

Written byMuzaffar Ali,Javed Siddiqui

Release dates 1981

The film is based on the 1899 novel ‘Umrao Jan Ada’, written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa; it has also been called the first novel in the Urdu language. Ruswa claimed that it was based on the true story of a courtesan named Umrao. How much truth there is to that claim, we will probably never know, but if there was a real person named Umrao Jaan and if this story is anything to go by, then she truly must have been a tragic figure.

Umrao Jaan was not born a harlot, as no prostitute ever is, but by a cruel hand that life deals her, she becomes one. Her life started as a young innocent girl named Amiran, who is kidnapped by an enemy of her fathers in Faizabad and then sold to a brothel in Lucknow. In such an unenviable position, she is reborn and schooled into a courtesan. Dancing, singing and generally being submissive to would-be customers are the ways of the trade, but it is poetry that is her passion. This passion initially is kept secret and only revealed to those close to her, but gradually it becomes a trademark and in the end, as it turns out, a means of livelihood for her.

At the heart of this movie is obviously Rekha, who was probably never been more beautiful or more powerful as she is in the title role. Bringing just about the right amount of naiveté, disillusionment and composed defiance, her performance makes this movie click and like the shining sun, has the other characters revolving around her. Her seductive eyes and exquisite features project all the elements needed to bring Umrao Jaan to life. Add to this her acting chops and Urdu dialogue delivery, and you have a class act that is truly timeless. Rekha, apparently had to work hard at her Urdu to make it believable and it shows.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Silsila, a cinematic examination of an extra-marital affair, was made more remarkable by director Yash Chopra's casting coup - he signed Amitabh Bachchan, his wife Jaya and actress Rekha in the roles that formed the three angles of the film's love triangle, one which appeared to mirror a rumoured real life triangle involving the three actors.

Silsila is a 1981 Hindi romantic drama film directed by Yash Chopra. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha and Kulbhushan Kharbanda, with Shashi Kapoor in a special appearance. The movie is said to be loosely inspired by the alleged real-life love triangle of its three stars, Amitabh-Jaya-Rekha, the most talked about love affair back then.On his last birthday, Yash Chopra revealed that he originally wanted to cast Parveen Babi and Smita Patil opposite Bachchan, but after consulting him, he chose to cast Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha in their respective roles.

Cast

Amitabh Bachchan as Amit Malhotra

Jaya Bachchan as Shobha Malhotra

Rekha as Chandni

Shashi Kapoor as Sqdr. Leader Shekhar Malhotra (Special Appreance)

Sanjeev Kumar as Dr. V.K. Anand

Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Inspector Kulbhushan

Sudha Chopra as Shobha's mother

Sushma Seth as Actress

Directed byYash Chopra

Produced byYash Chopra

Written byMrs. Preeti Bedi,Yash Chopra,Sagar Sarhadi,Romesh Sharma

Release Date 29 July 1981

Interesting Facts

Silsila was the last film that Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha made together. The actress had a cameo in R Balki's Shamitabh this year, which starred Mr Bachchan, but the former co-stars had no scenes together.

This was also the last film to feature Rekha with Amitabh Bachchan, putting an end to this popular on-screen pair and their rumored off-screen affair. The film did only average business at the box office, faring much below expectations. Since its release, however, the film has gained a strong cult following and is today considered a classic in its treatment of the themes of abandonment and familial responsibility. Producer Yash Chopra considered this film and Lamhe his favourites. The movie's music became a "superhit" upon the release of the film and continues to be as popular.

Sanjeev Kumar had earlier refused to be a part of the film as that would mean that he would have to play second fiddle to Amitabh Bachchan for the third time after Sholay and Trishul. However, Yash Chopra insisted on narrating him the story of the film. Halfway through the narration of the story when they reached the scene where Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh , Rekha and Jaya are sitting in a restaurant and Amitabh hits the dance floor with Rekha and not Jaya, Sanjeev asked Yash to stop. He called his office and directed them to allot dates for the film. Reportedly, he had always enjoyed working with Jaya as he felt that she helped in enhancing his acting ability and matched his performance.

The original star cast was Amitabh Bachchan, Padmini Kolhapure and Parveen Babi. But then there were several cast changes for this movie. Later on Smita Patil replaced Padmini Kolhapure. But at the end by the recommendation by Amitji, Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha were finalized.

The Holi song "Rang Barse" was sung by Amitabh Bachchan and was composed by his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

Musicians 'Shiv Kumar Sharma' and 'Hari Prasad Chaurasia''s debut as the composer. The duo is formerly known as Shiv-Hari.

This is the only movie in which Amitabh Bachchan is the younger brother of Shashi Kapoor. All their other movies in which they are brothers, Amitabh Bachchan is the elder one.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Mughal-e-Azam (The Emperor of the Mughals) is a 1960 Indian film directed by K. Asif and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, the historical epic follows the love affair between Mughal Prince Salim (who went on to become Emperor Jahangir) and Anarkali, a court dancer. Salim's father, Emperor Akbar, disapproves of the relationship, which leads to a war between father and son.

The development of Mughal-e-Azam began in 1944, when Asif read a play set in the reign of Emperor Akbar (1556–1605). Production was plagued by delays and financial uncertainty. Before its principal photography began in the early 1950s the project had lost a financier and undergone a complete change of cast. Mughal-e-Azam cost more to produce than any previous Indian motion picture; the budget for a single song sequence exceeded that typical for an entire film of the period. The soundtrack, inspired by Indian classical and folk music, comprises 12 songs voiced by playback singers including Lata Mangeshkar and classical singer Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. It is often cited as one of the finest soundtracks in Bollywood cinematic history.

Mughal-e-Azam had the widest release of any Indian film up to that time and patrons often queued all day for tickets. Released on 5 August 1960 it broke box office records in India, and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time, a distinction it held for 15 years. The accolades awarded to the film include one National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. Mughal-e-Azam was the first black-and-white Hindi film to be digitally coloured, and the first in any language to be given a theatrical re-release. The colour version, released in November 2004, was a commercial success.

The film is widely considered a milestone of its genre, earning praise from critics for its grandeur and attention to detail. Film scholars have welcomed its portrayal of enduring themes, but question its historical accuracy.

Cast

Prithviraj Kapoor as Emperor Akbar

Dilip Kumar as Salim

Madhubala as Nadira (Anarkali)

Durga Khote as Jodhabai, Salim's mother

Nigar Sultana as Bahar, a court dancer

Ajit as Durjan Singh

Murad as Raja Man Singh

M. Kumar as Sangtarash, the royal sculptor

Sheila Dalaya as Suraiyya, Anarkali's sister

Jillo Bai as Anarkali's mother

Directed byK. Asif

Produced byShapoorji Pallonji

Year of release 5 August 1960

Intresting facts about MUGHAL-E-AZAM

The movie was premiered in Mumbai's Maratha Mandir and released simultaneously in 150 theatres across the country.

Before every shot, Prithviraj Kapoor (who played Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar) would look into a full-length mirror. When director K Asif asked the reason for the odd behaviour, Kapoor said he did it to 'get under the skin of the character'.

K Asif took nine years to make Mughal-e-Azam. In 1952, Jhansi Ki Rani became India's first movie to be shot in technicolour. Asif wanted to remake his film entirely in colour too, but it is said the distributors lost patience and settled for shooting two songs and the climax of the film in technicolour. Some 85 per cent of the movie was filmed in black-and-white. In November 2004, the Indian Academy of Arts and Animation restored, colourised and re-released the film in 100 per cent colour. This is the first full feature-length movie to be coloured and re-released in theatres in the history of cinema. Some English films have been coloured but only released in the home video format.

Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya was shot in Sheesh Mahal at a cost of Rs 10 lakh at a time when entire movies were made on that budget. Most thought financier Shapoorji Pallonji would go bankrupt filming this one song itself. The song was written and re-written more than a hundred times by lyricist Shakeel Badayuni before music director Naushad approved of it. To provide the reverbration effect in the song, Lata Mangeshkar recorded it in a bathroom.

The director had initially thought he would release Mughal-e-Azamin three languages - Hindi, Tamil and English. The Tamil version did so badly, Asif dropped the idea of dubbing it in English. Madhubala's heart condition did not allow her to sign any films after this one.

To ensure a life-like performance, the chains Madhubala wore in the movie were real. The actress nursed the bruises caused by the chains for days 2, 000 camels, 4, 000 horses and 8, 000 troops were used in the battle sequence, many of them were sought from the Indian Army through special permission from the Defence Ministry. The soldiers were from the Jaipur regiment.

When the first shooting schedule began in 1946, K. Asif cast Chandra Mohan, D.K. Sapru, and Nargis for the roles of Akbar, Salim and Anarkali, respectively.

Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain says, "I was considered for the role of the young Dilip Kumar. But the role was eventually played by Jalal Agha."

The song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad" had Mohammad Rafi sing with a backup chorus of 100 singers.

During Making Of the Film K.Asif was in huge debt so he even bought paan and cigarettes on credit.

The statue of Lord Krishna used in the film was made of pure gold.

For the battle sequence, 2,000 camels, 4,000 horses and 8,000 troops were used